


Undertale Secret Santa 2018 - Monster(s)mash

by ecto_zone



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Monstermash 2018, Pacifist Ending, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 08:19:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ecto_zone/pseuds/ecto_zone
Summary: A collection of stories for the Monster Mash side event of the Undertale Secret Santa 2018 event (some chapters may be explicit and will be marked as such).





	Undertale Secret Santa 2018 - Monster(s)mash

Mettaton was built for city life. Even when he was trapped in those wretched, dank caverns that he and every other monster called home, he tried his best to stay at his picturesque resort and the comely capital that was just a hop, skip, and jump away (metaphorically, of course). Emerging from the caverns of the Underground onto the slopes of Mt. Ebott was a bittersweet moment for Mettaton, as he found the juxtaposition between the looming metropolis of humanity in the distance and the rugged wilderness of the forest that surrounded them on every side to be poetic.

Each monster responded to their freedom differently. Some saw fit to take in their surroundings with stunned awe, while others marveled audibly at the open world around them. A few monsters went as far as personifying their excitement through their magic, firing off bursts of magic attacks into the night sky, shooting upwards and outwards in a shower of sparks.

Mettaton could feel the words on his lips. He didn’t think anyone could hear him, so he spoke them to himself. 

“How beauteous mankind is,” he began. “O brave new world that has such people in it!”

He hadn’t noticed until then, but he had clasped his hands together, resting them on his chest. He sighed, feeling lighter than air as the cool wind of dusk enveloped him. He almost failed to notice two skeletons brushing past him, the shorter one seeming to be leading the other, tugging him along with decided impatience.

“C’mon bro, we can worry about meeting humans later. I gotta show you somethin’,” the short one insisted.

“Ah yes, the stars! I’m sorry, Sans! I just wanted to make a good impression on the other humans!”

Sans stopped, letting out a short laugh. “Don’t worry, Pap. They aren’t goin’ anywhere. That, and I think we can scope out a good location up the mountain,” Sans joked, the tube of his telescope materializing in his free hand.

Papyrus chuckled. “Alright, that was pretty good.”

Sans hurried his brother along. “C’mon, we gotta find a good spot before nightfall. I don’t wanna miss a minute.”

“Stars?” Mettaton thought. He had almost forgotten about the phenomena that captivated so much of the Underground’s culture, having been so preoccupied with his burgeoning career. He chanced a glance in the sky, noticing the shades of orange that quickly cooled into deep navy banners that draped across the upper sky to its zenith. The faintest hints of white lights, not unlike the ones of Waterfall, or perhaps a distant stage light, were beginning to materialize around these navy bands. He had never imagined such beauty could be possible in nature, and the faint hints of the night sky that he saw made him hungry for more. He darted his gaze to where Sans and Papyrus had been moments ago, watching them disappear down an especially dusty side-path nestled between overgrown foliage. His legs had begun to move without him realizing, and in moments he found himself chasing after the two, pushing away the errant branch and bramble as he stumbled along the disused trail.

He had no idea whether or not he was even going in the right direction, the sky growing too dark for him to see any footprints ahead of him. It hadn’t occurred to him until then how dangerous it would be for him to get lost in his new surroundings, this brave new world becoming a terrible, dark place in a matter of minutes.

He slowed his pace, allowing the pink flourescent lighting of his heart container to radiate around him. The forest encroached on his vision from every angle, and the diminishing path below served as his only lifeline in the otherwise untamed wilderness. He noticed the path’s end ahead, being overrun with tall grass. He had no idea if he would be able to find his way back if he strayed from the path, but a certain, reckless determination rose from within his soul. He pushed on, wading amongst the tall grass, up the increasing incline until the trees around him began to thin.

By degrees, the forest faded, the hill cresting into a summit. The canopy of the forest was gone, and area was illuminated in the soft blue glow of the vibrant night sky. He saw the two skeletons standing by a telescope, their backs to him. Papyrus marvelled at the sky through the device, emitting intermittent gasps of awe as he wheeled about, taking in the beauty of the nebulae and stars. Sans flipped through a book, mumbling about constellations and scanning through the night sky with a finger, directing his brother towards each one.

Mettaton pressed on, making his way to the two. He wanted to call out to them, to alert them of his presence without surprising them, but he found himself staring at the sky himself, his naked optics giving him a perfect view of the stars above. The more he looked, the harder he found it to take his eyes away, ambling through the brush as he gawked at the sky above.

“Oh my--y---!” Mettaton breathed, before one of his legs snagged against a stone set deep within the ground. With his spatial awareness momentarily impaired, he fell forward with a lurch, unable to steady himself. His body thudded against the ground, the weight of his chassis making his landing as rough as it was audible.

“Oh…” Mettaton groaned, the hydraulics of his arm hissing as he raised himself off the earth. He moved a leg to pivot himself against the ground when his eyes caught sight of a red glove thrust in front of his face.

He sighed, taking the extended hand as he was assisted to his feet. “Thank you,” Mettaton began, his face rising to meet the hand’s owner.

Papyrus stared back at him, his breath caught in his chest as realization began to dawn on him.

“M-Mettaton,” Papyrus inquired, his cheeks already flushing orange. “W-what are you doing here?”

He brushed the dust off his chest as he spoke. “So sorry to disturb your evening, darling! I didn’t mean to snoop on your conversation, but I heard you mention the stars, and…” Mettaton’s voice trailed off as he saw the sparkles in Papyrus’s eyes.

“Say no more!” Papyrus announced, directing him towards the telescope with a flourish.

Mettaton rest his hand against his chest. “Oh, I couldn’t…”

Papyrus’s head rattled from the intensity with which he shook his head. “No, no! I insist! Right this way!” He tugged on Mettaton’s arm, beckoning him to follow.

“Well… I suppose just one little peek.” Despite his desire to see the sky up close, he would not allow even this fantastic new experience to get in the way of his manners.

Papyrus led him to the telescope, instructing him in its use. Mettaton peered into the end, immediately finding himself awestruck at the sight. The telescope was centered on the moon, full and bright, and he could see the surface of it with a greater clarity than any other thing he had witnessed in his life. His eyes scanned over every crater, every scar of the surface. He stood agape, breathing his awe. He retracted his eye for a moment, only for Sans to readjust the telescope.

“There’s a lot more to see where that came from, bud.” He pointed up at the sky. “Take a look.”

Mettaton put his eye to the lens one more, noticing a grouping of stars that were centered on the lens. If he didn’t know any better, he could swear they seemed to make out some kind of shape…

“Andromeda,” Sans stated. “That’s what the humans call it.”

“Andromeda…” Mettaton breathed. Such a beautiful name for an equally beautiful group of stars! “It’s marvelous…” Sans grunted in agreement.

“Tell me,” Mettaton petitioned, his eye still trained on the constellation. “Are there more?” The sound of pages rustling to his right encouraged him.

“Oh yeah.” Sans said, a hint of wonder in his voice.

The three monsters took turns gazing through the telescope, Sans guiding them through all the sights the sky had to behold in the clear September sky. Their admiration was further heightened as Sans informed them that different constellations were visible at different times of the year. A profound sense of wonder washed over them all as they took in the seemingly endless wonder of the universe around them. There they stood, three monsters and their telescope, without a care in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 finished, better late than never! These are all going to be part of an overarching story, so buckle up for some fun times, and prepare your suspension of disbelief, because I'll be making some hard reaches to pull together the beginning of this tale.


End file.
